January move for £2.5m-rated defender would provide Celtic with vital insurance policy

Celtic are interested in signing Iranian left-back Milad Mohammadi this January, according to website Football Insider.

They report that the Hoops first had an interest in the player after this summer’s World Cup, but have kept tabs on his progress at Russian side Akhmat Grozny.

With his contract expiring at the end of the season, there’s an opportunity to pick him up on the cheap in a couple of months or simply sign him on a pre-contract deal with a view to next summer. He is currently rated as worth £2.52m by player tracker website Transfermarkt.

Football Insider do report though that Celtic face competition from Fenerbahce and Watford for his services.

Signing a left-back may not exactly be hugely high on our list of priorities right now, but investing in a new quality international in that position does have its benefits.

32-year-old Emilio Izaguirre is only on a short-term contract at the club and 25-year-old Mohammadi would appear to be an upgrade on the popular Honduran, at least in terms of having a long-term future at Celtic Park.

Like every Celtic fan, I want to see the homegrown Hoops star stay in Glasgow for the rest of his career but, as we were reminded of during the summer transfer window, that may not be possible given rich interest from bigger leagues.

Having someone able to take over the reins from the Scotland international should an unbeatable offer come in would take the pressure off the club and allow for something of a transition.

The criticism of Peter Lawwell and his transfer team in recent seasons has been the inability to replace our multi-million pound exports and the club being pro-active in this sense, should selling one of our best players become inevitable, would be very welcome indeed.

Would you make a move for Milad Mohammadi? Share your thoughts in the comments below…